Emma Stone and Director Damien Chazelle to Kick Off Denver Film Festival

With opening night for the 39th Denver Film Festival right around the corner, the Denver Film Society – which produces the fest – announced today that the screening of Damien Chazelle’s (Whiplash) modern musical La La Land will have a little Hollywood sparkle, courtesy of an appearance by the filmmaker and beloved actress Emma Stone.

Stone’s star has been on a meteoric rise with her roles in films like the Academy Award-nominated Birdman and other acclaimed fare like Easy A, The Help, Crazy Stupid Love and Magic in the Moonlight, to name just a few. In La La Land, Stone is joined by Ryan Gosling as they play two Los Angeles creatives trying to find their place amid life’s already chaotic journey.

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“Emma Stone’s awe-inspiring role as the hopeful actress and playwright Mia in La La Land is just a glimmer of her real-life trajectory, which has continued to impress audiences and critics alike," says Denver Film Society festival director Britta Erickson. “The 39th Denver Film Festival is honored to recognize her diverse, poised and authentic work, which shines brightly throughout her entire body of cinematic characters."

The evening will begin on the red carpet outside the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The screening of La La Land will commence at 8 p.m., followed by the presentation of the 39th Denver Film Festival Excellence in Acting Award to Stone. Following the presentation, local film critic Lisa Kennedy will host a Q&A with Stone and Chazelle – whose debut film Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench screened at DFF in 2009 – on stage at the Ellie. The evening will conclude with the opening-night party at the festival annex located at the newly remodeled McNichols Building.

The Denver Film Festival will continue through November 13 at the Ellie, the Sie FilmCenter and the UA Denver Pavilions theater. Over 200 films will screen amid parties, panels and visits from over 130 filmmakers and actors. Tickets for opening night (on Wednesday, November 2) and all films are available at denverfilm.org.

Keith Garcia is a filmmaker, film programmer, writer and secret agent looking for love and the perfect slice of pizza. If he looks familiar, it's probably because he introduced a film screening that you watched in Denver sometime between 1996 and 2014.